Sheet material having a decorative appearance



United States Patent 2,992,125 SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A DECORATIVEAPPEARANCE Geraud Antoine Jean Fustier, Lyon, France, assignor toSociety J. Bocuze & 'Cie, Lyon, France, a corporation of France NoDrawing. Filed Dec. 30, 1958, Ser. No. 783,727 Claims priority,application France Jan. 9, 1958 5 Claims. (Cl. 117-7) The presentinvention relates to a sheet material having a special decorativeappearance and adapted to a wide variety of applications from thepacking and the conditioning of various products, the making of ribbonsor wreaths and also of wall coatings and ornamentations of any kind.This material is characterized in that it is constituted by a base sheetmade of a flexible polymerized plastic material coated with areflecting, for instance metallic, layer which is preferably coveredwith a varnish and offers surface unevennesses capable of imparting tothe reflected light rays phase changements and which hereby bring aboutthe extinction of some waves lengths in relation to the incidence angleof these rays and give to the surface a iridescent appearance similar tothe appearance of the Newton interference rings which may be observed onthe oil puddles.

The invention is also related with a process for the making of thismaterial which consists in submitting a sheet of flexible polymerizedmaterial having a high limit of plastic deformation to an elongation inthe zone of said plastic deformation, covering these sheets with a layerof a reflecting metallic material, preferably by an evaporation in anevacuated atmosphere and annealing the sheets before or after thecoating to give them a iridescent appearance.

The iridescent appearance of the sheets thus obtained which can becompared with the interference colors of the Newtons rings which may beobserved on oil puddles, seems to be attributable to microscopic surfaceunevennesses created on the sheet of plastic material in which the largemolecules elongated and submitted to strains on account of theelongation are later released by a stabilization operation and form onthe reflecting surface mirco-unevennesses similar to' a difiractionlattice.

The sizes of such unevennesses are such that the light rays, reflectedand difiused by the surface, offer, in relation to each other,alteration of direction and phase shifts bringing about by interferencethe extinction of some Wave lengths in relation to the angle ofincidence of these rays.

Two alternatives of the process according to the invention areillustrated by the following flow diagrams:

Polyamid or Polyamid or Polyester Polyester film base film baseElongation up Elongation up to the limit of to the limit of plasticdeformation plastic deformation Vacuum Vacuum Metalizing Metalizinglhermic stabilizing Application of treatment protective varnish2,992,125 Patented July 11, 1961 "ice Drying of the varnish According toa preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheets of plastic material,for instance of polyamide resin and particularly of Rilsan or ofpolyester resin and particularly of Mylar, having for instance athickness ranging about 5 mm. are first subjected to an elongation inthe zone of permanent deformation and at least up to but not greaterthan its point of plastic deformation, then coated with a reflectinglayer by the volatilization of a metal preferably of aluminium, in anevacuated atmosphere and, to end, stabilized by exposure to atemperature ranging from to C. in a suitable container; or by exposureto a suitable radiation process or any natural or artificial ageingprocess.

In order to protect the reflecting layer, the sheets are then coveredwith a layer of a transparent, eventually colored varnish, which in sametime allows to embellish the color formed by the reflecting surface tobe improved, particularly by imparting to this surface a guilded orcopper-colored-tint. In such a case, the drying of the varnish and thestabilization of the plastic material may be performed in one singlestep.

As above mentioned, the stabilization of the plastic material ispreferably carried out after the plating, thus allowing to obtain withthe utmost security the interference colors since the micro-unevennessesformed at the surface of the plastic material during the stabilizationreverberate at the surface of the matallic layer which is only a fewmicrons thick. Nevertheless, by taking suitreverberate at the surface ofthe metallic layer which is deposited by a volatilization in a vacuumchamber from equalizing the unevennesses, it is also possible to carryon the stabilization before the plating immediately after the elongationprocess.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making sheet material having an iridescent ornamentalappearance which comprises providing a sheet of resin material having arelatively thin thickness, and elongating the resultant resin sheet atleast up to but not greater than its point of plastic deformation,thereafter applying a reflecting layer of metal thereover by vaporizingand condensing metal thereon under vacuum conditions, and stabilizingthe sheet by subjecting the same to a temperature between about 120 to150 C.

2. Sheet material having an iridescent ornamental appearance made inaccordance with the method defined in claim 1.

*3. A method of making sheet material having an iridescent ornamentalappearance which comprises providing a sheet of resin material having arelatively thin thickness, and elongating the resultant resin sheet atleast up to but not greater than its point of plastic deformation,thereafter applying a reflecting layer of aluminum metal thereover byvaporizing and condensing aluminum metal thereon under vacuumconditions, and stabilizing the sheet by subjecting the same to atemperature between about 120 to 150 C.

4. A method of making sheet material having an iridescent ornamentalappearance which comprises providing a sheet of resin material having arelatively thin thickness, and on the order of 3/ 100 mm, and elongatingthe resultant resin sheet at least up to but not greater than its pointof plastic deformation, thereafter applying a reflecting layer of metalthereover by vaporizing and condensing metal thereon under vacuumconditions, stabilizing the sheet by subjecting the same to atemperature between about 120 to 150 C., and applying a protectingtransparent coating over said stabilizedsheet.

5. A-methodof-making sheet material having'an iridescent ornamentalappearance Which comprises providing a sheet of resin material having arelatively thin thickness, and onthe order of 3/100 mm, and elongatingthe resultanfresin'sheet atleast up to but not greater than its point ofplastic deformation, thereafter applying a reflecting layer of aluminummetal thereover by vaporizingand condensing aluminum metal thereon undervacuum conditions, and stabilizing the sheet by subjecting the same to atemperature between about 120 to150'C.,

and applying a protecting transparent coating over said stabilizedsheet.

(References Citedxtinithe fileioftthis .patent UNITED :STATES i. PATENTS

1. A METHOD OF MAKING SHEET MATERIAL HAVING AN IRIDESCENT ORNAMENTALAPPEARANCE WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING A SHEET OF RESIN MATERIAL HAVING ARELATIVELY THIN THICKNESS, AND ELONGATING THE RESULTANT RESIN SHEET ATLEAST UP TO BUT NOT GREATER THAN ITS POINT OF PLASTIC DEFORMATION,THEREAFTER APPLYING A REFLECTING LAYER OF METAL THEREOVER BY VAPORIZINGAND CONDENSING METAL THEREON UNDER VACUUM CONDITIONS, AND STABILIZINGTHE SHEET BY SUBJECTING THE SAME TO A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 120 TO150*C.